Governance Review Initiative
Status update
March 23, 2011
The Board of Directors held a conference call on March 21 to discuss several governance proposals related to revising procedures for the election of regular directors and changing the composition of the Board of Directors. In a March 23 letter to members, Academy President Mary Frances Miller provided an update on the Governance Review Initiative and summarized changes that the Board endorsed during the conference call.
January 20, 2011
Having received the report of the Governance Task Force (GTF) at its Oct. 5, 2010, meeting, the board of directors added an extra day to its January meeting to review the 19 recommendations contained in that report.
You can read and download the report here.
At its Jan. 4 meeting, the board carefully considered all of the issues raised and recommendations made by the GTF. As a result of that work, and to keep the process moving forward, three task forces were created.
1. A task force to develop a proposal to facilitate member participation in the election of regular directors of the Board. 2. A task force to evaluate the pros and cons of a smaller board structure versus the GTF recommendation for maintaining the current structure. 3. A task force to explore creation of a formal leadership development program within the Academy.
The first two groups are expected to report to the full board at a special conference call of the board scheduled for mid-March. The leadership development group is expected to conduct research and formulate a proposal for the Board; this group's work may take several months to complete.
October 5, 2010
The Governance Task Force delivered its final report to the Academy's board of directors. The board received the report and will consider it. The board thanked and disbanded the task force, which has now completed its work. The board will convene a special full-day meeting in early January to consider the report and its recommendations. Members are invited to submit their comments to the report to assist the Academy's board with its deliberations.
September 8, 2010
After substantially having completed its review, discussion, and analysis in the prior meetings and conference calls described in the status updates below, the Governance Task Force reviewed a draft report of its conclusions via a three-hour conference call on Sept. 8. This report is intended for presentation by Bill Bluhm, the chairperson of the Governance Task Force, to the Academy Board at its meeting scheduled for Oct. 5. The Academy Board is expected to consider the various recommendations made by the task force and take any action it considers appropriate.
The task force report documents its composition and approach and makes recommendations to the Academy Board regarding the nomination and election processes.
The task force report is not yet in final form but it is expected to be prior to the Oct. 5 Academy Board meeting. Once the report is finalized and presented to the Academy Board, it is expected that it will be made available for member review.
July 20, 2010
The Governance Task Force met on July 20 at the Academy offices to allow full discussion of open issues. Closure was reached on many and assignments were distributed for the drafting of various sections of a report. The drafting process will likely go through several iterations before the report is ready for submission to the board of directors, most likely during its October meeting.
June 2, 2010
The Governance Task Force continued its work with a two hour conference call. Issues have been identified and all points of view have been fully aired. The task force is making progress on a framework for decision making. The next step is to narrow the discussion and flesh out the pros and cons of the options being considered, working towards a governance structure that best fulfills the Academy's mission.
May 19/20, 2010
The Governance Task Force met at the Academy's office in Washington on May 19. The task force discussed a variety of topics based on suggestions from Academy members and earlier task force discussions, including the composition of the board of directors and the process for electing individuals to the board of directors. The task force members were given assignments to work on to continue the discussion of these important topics. There is a follow-up call scheduled for June 2nd. Governance Task Force Chairperson Bill Bluhm reported on the task force's discussions to the Academy board of directors on May 20 and received some input for the Governance Task Force.
April 30, 2010
The Governance Task Force has started its work under the leadership of Bill Bluhm. The task force has been asked to review, analyze, and recommend improvements on the Academy's governance structure, to fulfill the Academy's mission and strategic plan. The task force has had two conference calls so far. During the April 7 conference call, the task force discussed the scope of the its work, how to proceed, and questions concerning how the existing governance structure works in support of the six Academy activities listed in its mission statement.
Following that call, a subcommittee thoroughly reviewed the comments received from Academy members in connection with the task force, including those submitted via the Academy website, as well as notes from the initial conference call. The subcommittee identified a draft list of discussion issues, which were then discussed on a conference call on April 30. The task force is focusing on keeping its attention on items purely of a governance nature, being careful not to include those that would be better addressed by the Strategic Planning Committee or another group within the Academy. During that call, the list of issues was discussed and revised, forming a foundation for the next stage of the task force's work. The group will meet next in Washington, D. C. on May 19.
April 7, 2010
The Academy Governance Task Force held its first conference call on April 7. The task force discussed its mission and defined the parameters of its review of the Academy's governance processes. Members of the task force also began identifying and briefly discussing issues that the group will review as part of its charge. Many of the issues were first identified by members responding to the task force's Nov. 20 solicitation for feedback; responses were shared with the task force prior to the conference call. A subgroup of the task force was selected to formalize and prioritize the list of issues, which will be discussed during the task force's next conference call.
February 25, 2010
The membership of the Governance Task Force is complete. We'll begin meeting soon. Each member of the Task Force is committed to be fully engaged in this process and contribute his/her experience, expertise and perspective throughout the course of our work.
We also want to hear from you, the Academy membership. We know the importance you place on governance of the Academy. Please join our deliberations by utilizing this e-mail link to share your thoughts with us.
Thank you.
Bill Bluhm
Chairperson
Governance Task Force
